Chapter 11
brIAR
My fingers tightened around Cassidy’s pearl snap shirt as both of us watched a squirrel fly off Bud’s rump. The critter soared like an acrobat through the air. Bud bucked a couple more times, snorting and squealing as that poor squirrel shrieked. Suspended like a balloon, the brown, furry rodent rotated mid-toss, then began plummeting back to the forest floor.
“Well, dadgum, I always thought flyin’ squirrels were nocturnal,” Cassidy mumbled, and I rolled my eyes, slapping his arm lightly. A chuckle vibrated from his bare chest as the critter managed to latch a tiny paw on a branch, breaking his fall, and then scurry off into the pine needles.
My gaze slipped back to Bud, whose butt disappeared around the group of trees the squirrel now chattered aggressively from. The final sight of him was his tail flicking up behind his hooves, which sent up a plume of dust.
“What just happened?” I blurted out, my heart still racing while not sure if I should laugh or freak out.
Cassidy snorted and his palms slid from my hips. He planted them behind his body and leaned back, staring up into my eyes. Hazel eyes that were definitely still thinking about what had almost occurred between—
“Oh, no,” I whispered, letting go of his shirt and slapping a hand over my mouth. That had not just happened, or almost happened.
“Oh, no?” Cassidy furrowed his brows. “Bud will be fine. He knows this place and is bookin’ it home right now.”
My jaw snapped open, and I dropped my hand from my lips. “That’s not…” And I stopped. It was an involuntary response of mine as my eyes slid down his exposed torso. That chiseled body of his that had been beneath my palms ignited that fire low in my core. The very flames that had been put out by a squeal of a horse and a squirrel flying off Bud’s rump.
Sighing, I ripped my gaze back up to Cassidy’s eyes. “Never mind,” I grumbled, and he lifted a single brow.
As if he knew exactly what I’d been about to say.
But he kept his mouth shut and simply watched me.
“We need to follow Bud,” I quickly mumbled, changing the subject, feeling overwhelmed by the flush of unexpected emotions.
“Why?” Cassidy asked as I became acutely aware of my intimate positioning with him. How I could feel everything that was taking its sweet time to die down.
I ripped my legs from around him and quickly stood up, scrambling away from Cassidy. “B-b-because of the poachers, or hunters, or whoever those guys were. They could catch Bud,” I answered and ran a hand over the back of my neck.
Cassidy remained still, not moving from his position in the dirt as I looked at everything but him. My eyes scanned the unrecognizable terrain that I’d run us into.
“By the way, how’d you lose them? And how’s the bullet wound?” I added, filling the silence with more things to distract from what had just happened.
“I zigged a few times, zagged the others, fired a few shots, and eventually put enough space between them and me that they turned around. I doubt they’ll go back to the herd anyway since we always leave a couple hands to watch them.” Cassidy sat up a little more and finally brushed some dust off his chaps. “And it’s fine. Stopped bleedin’ a while ago.” He snatched his hat from the ground and stood up, the gravel grating beneath his boots.
“I’m sorry, again,” I whispered as he tugged the hat over his unruly hair. His jaw knotted, thoughts rolling around in his head, and I wondered if he was suspicious about more than he let on. “You know, for getting us lost,” I quickly added.
“Hmmmm,” he hummed but said nothing else as he sauntered over to his horse. The only horse between the two of us now.
Running my fingers along the braid that swung loose and disheveled down my back, I sucked my swollen bottom lip between my teeth as Cassidy swung himself up onto the horse. His tawny eyes darted back to me, and he tipped his head. His gaze slid to my fingers as I twisted a strand of hair between my thumb and index finger.
“What’s that look for?” I asked.
His lips remained sealed, pulled tightly for a moment. Immediate warmth rose within my stomach, reminding me of what we’d just done.
What I’d just done.
“That will never happen again!” I blurted out.
His dazed look snapped into focus. “What? A squirrel jumping on a horse’s butt and spooking it? I mean, the chances of that happening again—”
“No!” I gasped, cutting him off. “The…The thing that, you know…happened between us…” I gestured between him and I and then shot my gaze to the ground. Scrambling toward my hat, I snatched it up and placed it on my head while he still said nothing.
Each breath of mine came in short bursts, as if I was breathing through a straw.
He still said nothing.
I stared at the ground and dug my toe into the dirt.
“Alright,” he finally muttered. I whipped my gaze up to him.
“That’s it?!” The audacity of this man. “It meant that little to you?”
“Huh?”
“I ripped open your shirt, we nearly started to…you know, and all you have to say is, ‘alright’?” I could not believe it.
His fingers opened, and the reins dropped back over his horse’s neck. He slowly began snapping up his shirt. “We made out, that’s it. But I thought you didn’t want to talk about it?”
“Well, no, I don’t, but…”
“So, we are supposed to pretend like it didn’t happen, but it’s also supposed to be a big deal?”
“Yes!”
He stopped working the pearl snaps and stared at me. “But I’m not supposed to make a big deal about it ’cause we can’t talk about it.”
“Exactly!”
His gaze darted away from my face, landing on the saddle horn. He leaned forward, rested his elbows against the leather, and continued to stare, dazed and confused.
I was just as confused as he was, encumbered by my own actions and lack of self-control.
And silence filled the stiff, hot summer atmosphere.
His lips didn’t move.
His eyes remained fixated on one spot.
His untucked shirt billowed in the gentle breeze.
Then he shook his head, drew his brows together, and finally looked at me.
“What?” he uttered.
I sighed, loudly. “How does that not make sense?”
“Did you listen to yourself, at all?” he asked, sitting back up and shoving his shirt into his pants.
“Obviously, I did. I said the words!”
“You said a whole lotta nuthin’, ’cause that didn’t make a lick of sense, Goldie,” he grumbled, shaking his head.
“You know what, forget it. Like I said, I don’t want to talk about it. Nothing happened. I’m sorry.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he answered quietly. His chest expanded as I pursed my lips.
No use in making this a bigger deal than it is. It’s nothing. Especially to a guy like him.
However, I stood there like an idiot, waiting for him to say anything, to keep this conversation going even though I told him I hadn’t wanted to talk about it. All it would take was him muttering that he liked kissing me, that maybe it was semi-enjoyable to him and not just a reaction to the hormones that had been flooding our bodies.
Was it just the hormones, though? Was it the fact that I was so grateful he’d rescued me that it overwhelmed me with those feelings and endorphins?
But more importantly, was it going to happen again?
“You gonna get on?” he asked, breaking the silence that had once again consumed us.
“Get on?” My eyes latched onto his, where he blankly stared at me. “Like with you? On your horse? You still want me up there, even after what happened?” I hissed. What in the world was going on with me?
His brows knitted together. “Well, how else are we both gonna get down the mountain?”
Slamming my eyes shut, I blew out some air. “Right… Bud got spooked,” I muttered. “Wait!” My eyes snapped back open. “Bud! We have to go after him.”
“I already told you he’s making his way back home and will be fine.”
“And I mentioned the bad guys. You know, the ones that shot at you?”
“I’m pretty sure I hit one of them in the shoulder. A through and through most likely, but they won’t be chasing Bud anytime soon.”
“You don’t know that.” I threw my hands on my hips. “Since when do bad guys who are trespassing, doing illegal things, chase after the people who caught them doing the illegal things?”
“I don’t know, Goldie. Since when do random girls show up with a horse they stole, confuse the livin’ daylights out of someone by accusing them of being perfect but also not perfect and hating them for both reasons, don’t give out a last name, and won’t tell the person that they asked for help, who’s chasing after them?” he blurted out, and my mouth fell open, stunned.
Shock roared through my veins. It’d been a week and he already knew? How in the world did he know?
Cassidy raised a brow, and his lips twitched, threatening with a smirk. “Get on. I’ll start tracking Bud, and you can tell me what I should know,” he demanded.
I rolled my eyes. “How do you know that I haven’t told you everything?” Stomping toward him, I crossed my arms in front of my chest in one final protest as he extended a hand down to help me up.
A quiet chuckle escaped his lips. “I knew you were running from something the moment you showed up.”
“How?” I asked, finally accepting his gesture and placing my palm against his steady arm. I jumped, and he helped hoist me up, where I swung myself over. Landing with a soft plunk on the back of his horse, I scootched myself as close to the saddle as possible and paused. My hands hovered near his body.
“So, you’re not gonna touch me now, is that it?” Cassidy smirked.
“Just shush,” I muttered and wrapped my arms around his waist. Goosebumps erupted on my skin despite the heat of the summer day. I didn’t need to see his face to know he was smiling. And he bumped his horse forward without a word, without answering my question.
The animal chatter that spanned around us was rather delightful. Birds chirping, a couple of woodpeckers drilling into tree trunks, and the occasional squirrel upset that we might be encroaching on their habitat filled the confusion that was swirling in my belly.
Especially at the sight of Cassidy tracking a horse through woods that looked all the same to me. Low whistling of a tune I recognized but couldn’t place casually left his mouth and met my ears as he casually guided his horse through the brush. Occasionally, he’d slow down and dip his head lower to the ground.
Progress was slow, but there was a part of me that didn’t mind it. Ignoring the sweat that dampened the middle of his back, being this close to him turned my insides warm—not from the blistering heat of the sun or his body heat, but by being this close to him.
And I hated it.
“Ugh,” I grumbled, annoyed.
“You’re the one that wanted to do this, Goldie. We can still—”
“I told you to shush. Besides, it’s not about that. Now, just follow whatever invisible trail you’re chasing, and go back to whistling,” I quickly chastised.
His body rumbled with laughter. “You’re gonna be the death of me.”
“I said shush. And I already said sorry.”
“I thought that was for kissing me?”
“Well, yes.” Why was he so good at getting under my skin?
“I’m pretty sure both of us were involved in that.” He dipped his head to the side and slowed our pace.
“So?”
“So, do you think what we did was wrong?”
“Well…no. Technically, this sorry was for the dudes that showed up,” I grumbled. And he brought the horse to a standstill.
Without hesitation, he swung his right leg over the front of the saddle and shifted sideways to face me. “Alright, explain.”
I narrowed my gaze, annoyed. “Just turn around and—”
“Nah, we ain’t doing that. I already had one blonde girl I dated try to ruin this ranch, so if you’ve brought crap with you, I need to know.”
The crickets that chirped between us could be heard clear across the country.
“You…” My voice trailed off. “You, what?”
He sighed, his shoulders sagging as he shook his head. “Three years ago, when Tenley, Weston’s wife, showed up, our cattle were poisoned with locoweed. And before you say anything, we take that very seriously and clear it out, so yes, we knew it was deliberate.”
“Tenley’s your ex?” I asked.
“Is she blonde?” He blinked at me like I was stupid, and I rolled my eyes.
“You’re annoying.”
That ever-present smirk lifted the corners of his lips. “Anyway, a girl I took on one single date, ended up trying to ruin the ranch’s cattle business in an attempt to get me to work off of the mountain and closer to her. Apparently, I was her true love or something.” He shook his head and looked out over the horizon, which indicated it was quite late in the afternoon. “What I’m saying is, I knew something was off about her during that first date. Did I know that she was an actual crazy loon? No, but there’s a reason only one date happened. I’m really good at reading people. And animals. So, again, I know you’re hiding stuff, and I’m not going to be played out to be a fool this time.”
My heart hammered loudly, but slowly. Telling him would get a huge weight off my chest. And my reasons were not insane like that chick’s reasons were. But that meant admitting that I technically did something wrong. That meant bringing someone else into this insanity, where I only had a gut feeling and no proof.
“First off, the relation between both of us being blondes—rude,” I finally started, and Cassidy chuckled.
“Don’t worry, Goldie. I ain’t ever met a blonde like you,” he whispered, his voice a little lower than usual. My stomach swam.
I opened my mouth to speak, but a complete sentence did not come to mind. “I—There—Any—” was all that came out.
Cassidy smiled through the silence. “You were saying?”
That’s all it took for the haze in my mind to clear up. “Anyway, butthead,” I muttered, and his eyes sparkled. “Second, the dude I stole the horse from is who’s chasing me and—”
“I put that together on my own,” Cassidy cut me off.
“Well, jeez. I can just assume that you know everything if you’re going to sass me like that,” I responded, narrowing my eyes. He merely raised a brow and slipped his tongue across his lips. My eyes darted briefly down to his mouth, reminding me of the velvet passion that had been briefly shared. Hold on, no. Snap out of it Briar.
Quickly shaking the thought from my head, I returned to the conversation at hand. “Anyway, I was going to finish by saying that since it’s just one guy chasing me, I doubt today is related.” I paused and watched as his tawny eyes studied mine, full of that familiar mischievousness. He may have figured me out, but there was still much about him that I didn’t know. “Now, get going, or we will lose daylight before finding Bud,” I snipped. As I gestured to have him start tracking again, I pulled my lips between my teeth.
He left his leg crossed around the saddle horn and bumped the horse forward; his eyes lingered on me. We once again began making slow progress as Cassidy followed Bud’s trail that I still couldn’t see. Eventually, he let out some air and dropped his leg back over the side of the horse. His breath washed over my face, bringing a burning sensation to my cheeks.
His scent… The taste of his tongue against my own…
So desperate… So needy…
“I get you being hesitant to tell me things, but you realize once we are back to the main ranch, if Cash or Weston haven’t called the livestock agents and police, I will. And you’re a criminal, regardless of your reasons,” Cassidy stated, his voice startling me, and I blinked, returning my focus to him. His eyes were trained on the forest floor.
“You saw the marks on the stallion’s body! How can you call me the criminal when—”
“That won’t matter, Briar. You took property that isn’t yours and still have it with you. Regardless of the abuse that I know happened, that’s much harder to prove since the horse is with you,” he explained. He wasn’t wrong, and I hated that.
“My dad called the authorities on Wayde so many times, and nothing happened! I just need time to find proof that he’s done more than just abuse his animals, that’s all,” I explained, praying that Cassidy didn’t see me any differently. I knew stealing the horse had been wrong, but sometimes the right thing comes by doing the wrong thing first. Right?
Cassidy sighed and pulled the horse to a stop again. “Why is it always a Wayde?” he muttered and suddenly plopped to the ground with a jingle of his spurs. “Take the reins. The dirt here is really compact; I can’t see hoofprints. I gotta look for some other signs, and it’d be easier on foot.”
Pulling myself over the back of the saddle, I settled into the leather seat and slipped the reins between my fingers. It felt nice and refreshing to be back in control, and I wrapped my legs gently around Cowboy’s sides.
“What else do you think this Wayde did?” Cassidy mindlessly asked, walking forward. He stooped down beside some brush that looked scattered, but not out of place.
“Killed our entire herd of cattle,” I answered, and Cassidy’s fingers stopped moving. They hovered over a few leaves, and then slowly, very slowly, he lifted his gaze to mine.
“All of them?”
I nodded.
The wheels began spinning in his mind, evident by the twitching of his brows and the distant look that glazed over his eyes.
“How did your dad die, Briar?” Cassidy whispered, looking back down at the leaves that had been stomped into the ground. My stomach plummeted to the ground, swallowed up by a question I had certainly not expected him to ask.
“Car accident, why?” I answered and then couldn’t stop my mouth from falling open as it hit me. “What are…What are you suggesting?”
“Nuthin’,” he muttered. “And exactly what you’re prolly thinkin’ right now.”
Drawing a deep, shaky breath, my teeth bit down into my bottom lip.
“Cattle are one thing, but a person?” I quickly asked, trying to rationalize the very idea that hadn’t crossed my mind until now. But now that he’d mentioned it… “He did try to ask me out several times while my daddy was alive,” I added quietly.
Cassidy closed his eyes and placed his hands on his legs. “And I’m assumin’ you and your pops told him in no uncertain terms ‘no’.”
I nodded, but kept my mouth shut. This wasn’t happening. The accident had been just that, an accident. Icy roads and a telephone pole in the wrong place at the wrong time—that’s what the police had said. Tears brimmed against the dam that had been holding them back for so long. No one else had been there on that road when my daddy had been—at least, not that they could find evidence of.
“The people that lived a mile down the street found his car thirty minutes after the accident happened,” I quietly mumbled, nausea building in my stomach. “Cassidy.”
His eyes shot up, and he pushed himself upright.
“Tell me you’re wrong. Please, I’m begging you,” I cried out, no longer able to contain the anguish that consumed me.
Cassidy hustled my way and placed a hand against my thigh. I stared down at him, gasping. “Breathe, Goldie. I’ve got you, okay?” His fingers slid up and down my leg, and he reached up, pressing a calloused palm against my cheek. I closed my eyes, leaning into his touch, which I shouldn’t be taking comfort in. But it warmed the very depths of my soul that had died with the question that I should’ve asked a while ago.
“If it’s his fault, both the cattle and your dad, or just one of them, we will find a way to make sure that he’s brought to justice. I promise,” he tenderly offered.
I nodded, each inhale grating into my lungs like sandpaper. “My dad… My dad, Cassidy.” Trembling, my fingers tightened around the reins, as his thumb swept away tear stains sticky upon my cheek. I opened my eyes and glanced down at him.
Cassidy’s brows stitched together, concern tightening the chiseled features on his perfect face. A face that I hated I was drawn to more than I hated almost anything else. But he didn’t say anything, didn’t accuse me of anything. Even though I could only imagine how much attitude he wanted to dish at me, something restrained him.
Maybe Rooney was right about him all along.